Jan/Feb 2009

Tesco could be planning to roll out a fleet management system from Microlise on a worldwide basis. Operations in up to ten countries could eventually see the benefits.

The initial trial is under way in Slovakia, where Microlise has worked in association with scheduling specialist Ortec, which provides the planning part of the solution. Here Tesco's trailers are being fitted with Microlise's MTU3 trailer tracking units, which will provide a basis for a range of functions including route scheduling and optimisation, trailer tracking, temperature and door monitoring, route and schedule adherence monitoring, trip reviews and KPI reporting.

Further functions could be covered later, including performance monitoring via telematics and driver 'fuel leagues', proof of delivery, driver communications, task management and consignment tracking.

Tesco says it sees the solution playing a major role in its programme to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent, and says it was attracted by the ability of the Microlise suite to integrate with its own software platform, as well as linking with locally-sourced third-party technology.